Texas government and history, as well as for the state's citizensand voters who have an interest in public affairs.DICK SMITHTarleton State CollegeAn Abstract of the Original Titles of Record in the General LandOffice. Introduction by Mary Lewis Ulmer. A Reprint of the1838 Edition. Austin (Pemberton Press), 1964. Pp. iii+ 182.$12.50.During the Texas War for Independence and the early yearsof the Republic of Texas, no domestic issue was of more interestto Texans and received more attention from the governing offi-cials than did that pertaining to the public domain. The Con-sultation meeting at San Felipe, after first organizing a pro-visional government, next adopted ordinances on November 13,1835, closing all land offices and suspending the issuance of anymore land titles. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas haddetailed provisions pertaining to the public lands, which were notimplemented by legislation, however, until December 14, 1837-By various acts the Texas congress created the General Land Officeand set up the governmental machinery to process the multi-tudinous claims relating to the public lands being made by theold and new settlers and the volunteer soldiers of the Texas Revo-lution.In order to aid in this burdensome administrative task, theHouse of Representatives of the First Congress, on the last dayof its adjourned session, May 24, 1838, adopted a resolution whichhad been introduced by George Sutherland of Jackson County,a member of the Committee on Public Lands. It required thatthe Commissioner of the General Land Office have printed"1,ooo copies of the abstract of the books of his office prepared bythe clerk to the Committee on Public Lands, and that the Secre-tary of State be requested to distribute the same with the lawsand journals, or sooner if practicable." That much needed in-formation relating to the old land grants was thus placed in thehands of local officials including the county land boards.In appropriate columns, this volume has the name of eachgrantee, the date of the issuance of the title, the quantity ofland, and where situated, and a column for remarks. Unfortunate-

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